Yemen minister says 60 percent of population in dire poverty

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Yemen's planning minister says 60 percent of the country's population is in dire poverty more than two years since the Shiite rebels forced the country's internationally recognized government and president out of the capital.

Mohamed El-Saadi says 22 million Yemenis are in need of humanitarian relief, a figure that exceeds the U.N.'s recent estimate that 19.8 million in Yemen need assistance.

El-Saadi spoke during a meeting on Wednesday in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, attended by the Gulf Cooperation Council and international organizations.

He warned that the "general security, political and humanitarian situation has witnessed an unprecedented decline."